Worlds Apart
by Tainted-Dreamz
Summary: CURRENTLY REVISING Alearie needed some time to think, and somewhere to be alone. She stumbled across a forsaken beach, and fell asleep. Little did she know where exactly she'd wake up at, or who would find her...Baralai!
1. Silver Memories

First fanfic…and now I shall be revising it.

**Disclaimer**- As you all probably know, I don't own Final Fantasy X-2. It'd be nice to, though.

Song lyrics: "This Is The Last Time" by Keane.

…Sheesh. I haven't updated this thing since…forever. Not to mention I am seeing how awful my writing is. I'm going to tweak things up a bit, so, even if it still seems bad, it hopefully will be better than before. I've added some plot twists to this chapter, added some more details to the story. XD 

Thank you for all the readers and reviewers who've read this! It's time for me to get working, and hopefully to finish this fic sometime in the future!

Hah…hah? I kind of changed the lyrics, too. XD Please don't murder me! XD

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**Worlds Apart**

_This is the last time  
That I will say these words  
I remember the first time  
The first of many lies  
Sweep it into the corner  
Or hide it under the bed  
Say, these things they go away  
But they never do_

___Something I wasn't sure of  
But I was in the middle of  
_ Something I forget now  
But I've seen too little of

_The last time  
You fall on me for anything you like  
Your one last line  
You fall on me for anything you like  
And years make everything right  
You fall on me for anything you like  
And I, no I don't mind_

She felt the tears rushing down her face in large currents, and quickly swiped them away, feeling ashamed at her own weakness. _"I'm such a wimp…"_ Alearie thought bitterly to herself, burying hear face into her knees and hugging them to herself tightly. 

She had just gotten into an irrelevant fight with her boyfriend again, the third one in a day, and things didn't seem to be getting any better. Alearie was starting to question her own sanity, wondering how in the world she could lose her temper over something as small as her boyfriend not having enough time for her.

Sure, she didn't exactly see him for more than an hour everyday…but he was busy, and rightly so. He had work all the time…or so that was what he told her. She had started to get suspicious when she found him hanging around a bar, drinking away to his heart's content, and slightly flirting with the attractive bartender.

Alearie wasn't one to hang around someone who cheated…it wasn't the way she was. Lately, however, she had found that she was lonely, she wanted _somebody_, even if that somebody was a liar and a scumbag. To know he was there was of an odd sense of comfort, to know that she at least belonged with someone.

She had never mentioned finding him at the bar, nor did she mention seeing the bartender (which she had realized was coming around to visit him a lot recently). Finally, she had gotten so tired of pretending that she seemed to fight with him about stupid things that would somehow turn into a full blown argument. Not that it really mattered to her, although right now she was crying her eyes out for being a stupid dependent person who was having relationship issues that included her not being able to let go.

But today was different, because for once, she **did** let go. She called it off, and for the most part, she seemed so nonchalant about it that she almost believed herself when she told him she never really cared. Sure, her feelings for him were almost as good as gone, but the sickening feeling of emptiness that met her surprised her.

It wasn't until two hours of walking alone on a pathway in a remote forest, getting lost, pricking herself on every single type of thorn possible by her own clumsiness, feeling miserable, and stumbling upon a beach she had never been to before, that the feeling overtook her body, causing her to cry herself into a painfully exhausted state.

Who knew there could be so many trees in one area? She could've sworn she passed by the same brush about twenty times in twenty minutes.

And why was her leg so _itchy_ all of a sudden?

Red bumps started to form on Alearie's ankles, and she inspected the green, pointed-leaf plants under her. She scrutinized the mass of green for a couple minutes, still scratching, until her mind recollected something about them. Yes, she had definitely seen them before…she remembered some event that had happened to her when she was younger, but she couldn't quite remembered what exactly happened to her, that would cause her to remember the plant.

She inhaled noisily, attempting to remember what it could be, until she realized that the red bumps on her ankles were becoming more of a large red rash.

Alearie slapped her forehead in disbelief, groaning.

"**Poison Ivy**…" Alearie mumbled with disgust. Alearie had never been a nature person, except for a couple favorite flowers. She had been in a nature-type group when she was younger, but there was an incident that involved her to go outside and pitch a tent.

With her abounding amount of luck, the weather turned so horrid that, not only did she get lost because she read the moss on the back of a tree backwards, but she also got caught in a thunderstorm, erroneously put up the tent, causing it to fly into oblivion somewhere off the coast of Neverever land, and she caught a cold _and_ had to stay in bed for a week.

It would be an understatement to say she had a few bad run-ins with nature.

Even more so, she was stuck on a beach, (although it was a very pretty beach, it was secluded) and she had absolutely no way of contacting anyone. How was she supposed to get home?

What the **fuck** was she thinking when she walked for miles and miles?

Not to mention, it was getting cold, creepy, and things were creaking around her. The three "c" words she hated the most.

What could possibly be _worse_, anyway?

Instantaneously after the thought crossed her mind, she fully regretted it. It was raining. No, not even raining; it was **storming**. Of course, that was luck for her.

The only thing that seemed to be calming her anxious was the ocean in front of her. Shimmering in the moonlight, it seemed to have an eerie, but heavenly effulgence about it that seemed to call her to it.

It was such a peculiar color…almost as if it was originally tinted silver, with a pink-ish luster.

The sand itself was nice, a pleasing, soft, light, beige color. It felt almost velvety as it ran through her fingers, (it would probably feel even more velvety if it wasn't storming, producing slight clumps in each handful of yellow she picked up) each grain very fine, which was bizarre, because the beach seemed to be untainted by shells, or…anything, for that matter.

Alearie sniffed, wiping away her long, ebony colored hair that matted to her face, shivering a bit, due to her drenched clothing, and walked over to the ocean water. As she approached, almost, as if on cue, the water began to illuminate in a peculiar way, with a sudden appearance of large, exotic orange-pink flowers floating to the surface, and a multitude of cyan-violet splashes of light erupting from the water.

It was a spectacular scene; the ocean creating its own splendor of fireworks, as soon, a whirlpool of orange-pink danced in a melody only known to the waters of blue-indigo that accompanied it.

Suddenly, in the midst of everything, a gathering of light emitted from the sky, and fireflies (or what they seemed to look like to Alearie) began to form together. Alearie stared in awe at their waltzing light, as they spun around, slowly creating a human figure, (which, if Alearie wasn't so curious, she would've gone into a full scream at this point) which materialized into a lady with compassionate eyes, after a burst of white light and ocean mist.

Her clothing…or…lack of clothing was very…odd, (according to Alearie) but ornate, and there was no doubt of her beauty. Her hair seemed like a refreshing mix of lavender, the sky, and silver mingled together. She had an elegance that was present to Alearie, and after many moments of gawking at her, Alearie inhaled softly, blinking at the spectacle.

"Who…are you?" Alearie asked slowly, deliberately whispering, afraid to break the comforting silence, and besides, her throat was aching from all her crying.

The woman turned around, giving Alearie a mysterious smile.

"Yunalesca." Her voice had a gentle ring to it…soft, but clearly defined and serene. With that, she slipped another mysterious smile, turned around, and was gone as the 'fireflies' dispersed, the sound reminding Alearie of murmuring leaves in a summer breeze.

She was brought back to reality when a strong gust of wind blew past her, nearly knocking her over from the brute force exerted. Alearie noticed something shining in the water near her, and hastily snatched it before the currents came again.

They were necklaces; both made from a silvery gleaming substance she couldn't identify. _"Definitely not something from here."_ She concluded, eyeing them both with inquisitive interest.

One was shorter than the other, so she put the shorter one first. It had a single charm of something that looked like a dragon-like creature with large, feathery wings, and a circular halo on its back.

The other was a circular locket. From a first glance, it seemed more recent than the other necklace. On the cover was engraved a name that was too worn to be legible.

Inside were two clear pictures.

The first one picture was older, one of a little boy with an olive complexion, honey-colored eyes, and undeniably illustrious, white hair.

Alearie wanted to sigh at the young boy's sweet appearance, but then she noticed the more mature version of the little boy with the same features, but a more pensive, sagacious, and…did she trace a hint of melancholy in this picture? She could see a headband wrapped around his head, and the traces of a green-ish jacket.

Alearie slowly closed the locket, focusing her attention on the ground as she hooked it around her neck as well.

Alearie sighed. She had a feeling that she was supposed to find this enigmatic male, since he seemed to maintain an unknown significance. After all, why would his particular picture be there in a locket, in the same place that Yunalesca was previously?

Her mind was lost in an immense train of thoughts; therefore, she didn't comprehend the shadow falling upon her from an upcoming wave that was reaching great heights, gaining foot after foot above her, threatening to engulf and assimilate her.

_This is the last time  
That I will show my face  
One last tender lie  
And then I'm out of this place  
So tread it into the carpet  
Or hide it under the stairs  
You say that some things never die  
Well I tried, and I tried  
_

_Something I wasn't sure of  
But I was in the middle of  
Something I forget now  
But I've seen too little of_

___The last time  
You fall on me for anything you like  
Your one last line  
You fall on me for anything you like  
And years make everything right  
You fall on me for anything you like  
And I, no I don't mind

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_  
I apologize for the short chapter! I hope things are getting more interesting! I'm a little rusty in some ways on this fic, seeing as how I normally write fanon and canon pairings, and I haven't written any Mary Sues except for this one. XD

Anyway, Baralai makes an appearance in the next chapter, so stay tuned, and review! (Even if there are some of you do want to be a meanie-butt and rant about how you hate Mary Sues and whatnot.)

Stay tuned as I fix up the second chapter! Until then!


	2. Unexpected Findings

Here's the next chapter!!! Please review me!!!

Okays, I'm gonna shut up now and let you read…

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Worlds Apart: Chapter 2 Unexpected Findings

He sighed. Another morning, just like the rest. Baralai lifted his head up slowly, and leaned onto the railing of Bevelle's temple. The blue and white hues of Spira's sky reflected into his honey brown eyes. He drifted; sure he was tired, after everyday of dealing with this and that. Who ever said being a praetor was easy, but he never wanted to drift off into sleep like this. 'It'll just take a sec…' he thought as he laid his head in his hands, and slowly closed his eyes.

"Praetor, sir," A guard articulated, shifting uncomfortably, wondering if he should regret to wake the sleeping praetor up.

"Yes?" Baralai managed as he realized how long he had 'napped'. 

"We have found, um, 'something' that we need you to check out…" The guard paused, "We found it during a visit in Besaid. We've brought it to the guest room…" 

"Alright. Thank you guard." Baralai dismissed the guard, thinking about what the guard was saying, and what 'it' could be.

~Alearie's POV~

"Ah…" she groaned. Her whole body ached, not to mention her head. Opening her eyes, she saw double of everything. Instinctively, she rubbed her eyes, and shook her head trying to get rid of her tired feeling. Stretching, she looked around the room again. '_Wait' _she thought, _'I'm in a room…? I coulda sworn that I was on a beach, the waves, the rain…' _The opening of the door to her room interrupted her thoughts. _'Oh god,' _her mind was racing, and her insides were screaming _'HIDE!'_ With all her might she tried to move, but she couldn't. Her body was frozen, her eyes wide with fear as the doorknob turned. She bit her lip and looked frantically around. She didn't have time to hide in the bathroom, or the closet, so the only think she could think off was to pretend that she was sleeping. The door opened, and she plopped her head on the bed and shut her eyes tightly, clenching her fists.

~Baralai's POV~

Baralai walked in, and what he saw caught him off guard. It was a girl, with flowing black hair with faint streaks of brown, her face was pale, and to him, looked like porcelain. He edged closer hesitantly, not wanting to disturb her, and lightly touched her face. It was cold, and clammy, but very smooth. _'Wow, she's beautiful' _he thought, and then felt his cheeks burn. How could he think such thoughts?! He was the _praetor_ for Yevon's sake! He yanked his hand away, ashamed, but he couldn't help staring at her in awe. He saw her shiver, and thus, the gentleman he was, instinctively wrapped a blanket around her, and then left her alone.

~Alearie's POV~

She peeked a little at who came in. Her first reaction, (hey she's a teenager, we can't help these things!) was 'Oh, my, god! Is he H~O~T or what?!' She noticed him staring at her, and was trying very, VERY hard not to blush, but almost did when she saw him blush. She didn't know why, but she seemed to feel light-headed when he touched her, and couldn't help wondering why she had wanted him to touch her so badly again. He had wrapped a blanket around her, and inside, she was tingling. _'What is this I'm feeling?' _she wondered. She had NEVER ever felt this way before, not about anyone at all especially her so called 'boyfriend'. She felt the anger come back again. She hoped she'd never see his face again.

**__**

Sometimes I watch the world go by

I wonder what it's like

To wake up every single day

Smile on your face

You never tried

We both know we can't change it

But we both know we'll just have to face it

Slowly, she drifted off to sleep, filling her mind with thoughts of the guy who came in her room. Hell, she didn't even know what his name was, and she was already addicted. 

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Yeah, yeah, I know, this is also a short chapter, but anyway, I'll make the chapters longer as I go, deal? Anyhow, P~L~E~A~S~E review me!!! I NEED to know how I'm doing so far on this fic!!! I don't care if it's a bad comment or not, just review!!!!! I'll be very happy if you do!!!! Or if you don't, at least hopefully you'll read the story! ^_^


	3. Time & Thoughts

Here's the next chapter!!! Please review me!!!

Teehee!! This one's gonna be a bit longer…thankies to peeps who reviewed me!!! Peace, Love, and Happiness!!!

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Worlds Apart: Chapter 3 Time & Thoughts

~Alearie's POV~

She had a dream. A dream that she was falling, into an endless pit. All around her was fading stars, colors, blurred faces, and light. An earsplitting humming sound was playing over, and over again. Words in another language could be heard. She awoke, and practically jumped out of bed, panting, taking deep breaths she blinked a couple of times. Her heart was beating faster than the speed of light. She seized her necklace, and traced the edges with her fingertips, as she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on her dream, before it diminished, for she had a inimitable gift of seeing things happen in the future through her dreams, and she didn't want to forget this one. Her head sunk into her frigid hands as she speculated. 'What could it mean?' she mumbled to herself. Without knowledge or control, she out of the blue mumbled that same language:

__

Vun y saccahkan meac ihfugah,

Desa'c lenma uv cdync ryc paah pnugah,

Vena, Fydan, Ayndr, Tynghacc, yht Mekrd,

Dra cbened fedreh,

Crymm namayca dra crytufc,

Ht pnehk adanhym hekrd.

She was definitely awake now, so she climbed out of the bed, and caught herself before falling. She hated the feeling of being helpless, and so she stretched and shook herself until her senses came back to her. Walking to a nearby window, she gazed at the intricate designs carved around the windowpane. There were stars, shooting stars, and what looked like a full moon, fire, water, and she somehow knew that the next two carvings were of darkness, and light. She didn't know exactly how she could tell, but that feeling was there. Each carving was so precise, that it was almost as though you could actually see the fire burning there, or the blue water gently rocking back and forth across the banks of creamy yellow. Smiling inwardly, her mind blank, she stared across throughout the world below her. Shades of orange, yellow, red, and a tint of purple and pink shifted across the sky. 

Getting up to go to the bathroom, she climbed into the bathtub. "Now, how do you use this darned contraption?" Alearie questioned. She was pretty sure that this was the bathtub, but the handles weren't in the right spots, and there were numerous buttons in the sides. "Oh well, I'll just press buttons…" while touching every button she laid eyes on. 'Oh wow,' staring in awe, thinking, 'God! I don't even have THAT many soaps, shampoos, or conditioners!' Alearie towel-dried her strait hair, combing it until in was knot free. 

Walking towards the wardrobe, she flung open the double doors, then immediately stared confused. There were spheres lying on the floor of the wardrobe. 'Hmm, now what could these be for…' touching one, it immediately transformed her into a gunner. Arching an eyebrow, she looked in the mirror. Something clicked into her mind. That outfit really seemed familiar. She eyed it curiously. It had a baby blue hood; the top was connected to the hood by two strings, both white. The top was also white, but a rough, cloth, and slightly off white, while there was a strange symbol that went down the middle, also showing her skin there. She noticed there was that baby blue cloth again, but this time, a unique designed cut under the white top, connected there. True, the outfit showed her belly, but she didn't really care, after all, she was 17! She could wear what she wanted too, although it did seem a little revealing. Touching her skirt, well at least the half of it, the whites of the lace faded into white-lavender, which faded into lavender, which faded into purple-lavender, and finally into purple. She had to laugh; she always laughed at herself, and couldn't help laughing at how she was so curious before. She always laughed at everything, even the dumbest, and most unimportant things. Eyeing her shorts, she thought aloud "Well these give a whole new meaning to the word 'short'!" She had never seen shorts THAT short before!!! No matter HOW hot it was outside. She did like the color though, because they were black, and matched the outfit well. Next came the boots. She somehow had this obsession about knee-high boots. She absolutely LOVED them. She loved different types of boots too. These had white strings running up the front, and they were brownish-black. "Oh, I could get used to these" She grinned and twirled around, just before a voice spoke up, "I'm glad you like it." 

She froze, and turned around. And there he was, standing right there. He looked sort of nervous, probably after the startled look she gave him, and so, trying to cover for him, she grinned sheepishly, and laughed, as he looked at her, obviously very confused.

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~Baralai's POV~

Ok, maybe he shouldn't of come in like that. He was feeling very, very, uncomfortable by the way she looked so startled. He did have to admit that the gunner's outfit suited her. There was an uncanny likeness of Yuna, and some of Rikku in her by the way she acted, and how her gunner's outfit matched Yuna's, if only different shades of colors. Her grin made him feel foolish, although it was her that looked at him foolishly. This time, she laughed. Her voice sounded like bells ringing, but softer, and a more musical like melody, with a higher pitch. That was it, this proved it, he was really insane. When he had fallen for her, he had fallen DEEP, into a bottomless pit, and he was probably not gonna come out. 'Yevon,' I don't even know her name.

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~Alearie's POV~

She noticed him staring at her, and she couldn't help, but do what all girls do, blush. He seemed confused still, and deep in thought. She wondered what he could be thinking, but just smiled. She might as well say something, she never liked silence, and every second seemed like an hour, and it was just making her feel down right awkward. "Okay, so…um…yeah…" Okay, she really screwed that one up badly. She proceeded on, after all, try, try, and try again. "Hiya, I'm Alearie…and YOU are?" She felt as stupid as a brick wall, but, oh well, she'd just have to survive, or at least make it through the day. 

~Baralai's POV~

Great god. She had asked him his name. Hopefully he wouldn't screw up, but you know, he never dealt with these situations, of course he was good at speeches, but he had never been trained to do these kinda things. "I'm…uh…" 'Oh yeah, great time to forget your own name!' "…Baralai" He resisted the urge to smack himself in the head, while he was glad Gippal wasn't here. He could just imagine him standing there with the smirk that said, "Smooth."

~Alearie's POV~

She didn't notice his nervousness, and just walked up to him. She never was shy, but it was slightly different when she was around Baralai. "Baralai," she repeated aloud. The name sounded so cool to her, and sorta mysterious at the same time. Trying to forget how she somehow, for the first time, was sorta shy, she reached for his hand and tugged it, and gave a look that, Baralai thought, Rikku could only pull off, but was proven wrong. He swore that she must've taken lessons from Rikku. 

Though she was childish, she had an aura of elegance within her, and was very mature, in times of trouble. She seemed to be born a leader, and though, not choosing to be one, her sensitivity, kindness, and her hidden ways and, what seemed like powers of being able to work with anyone, and understand their problems gave her a Yuna-like personality. (Okay, I'm gonna stop the POVs for a little bit in this chapter, and just write.)

Baralai was quite taken by her, especially when she had just touched him. "So, what should we do now?" She inquired, gazing into his eyes, and smiling when he looked back. He couldn't help but flash a grin. *Alearie thought he should smile more, because he looked so cute when he did, but, of course, didn't voice her thoughts…YET* 

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Teehee!!! Next chappy coming soon!!! Don't worry, I won't make you wait THAT long…I think. n.n

Hope you won't kill me for leaving you there!!! Teehee!!! This is so fun!!! The saga of Alearie and Baralai will continue soon…

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Eowyn- Thanks for reviewing Becca!!! Teehee!!! I'll update soon! Thankies!! I'll keep this fanfic going!

Tifa-Carbuncle- Thanks for reviewing me! You were the first one!! YAY!!! Anyhow, your review was very encouraging, and I got to read some of your fanfic too! They were very well written, and had a lot of voice!


	4. I Just Wanna Have Fun

Here's the next chapter!!! Please review me!!!

Yayness!!! Okay, here it is! Chapter 4, with lots of 'stuff' ^_^ 

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Worlds Apart: Chapter 4 I Just Wanna Have Fun

"Uh…breakfast?" Baralai replied fingering his platinum hair, and chuckling slightly. With a satisfied grin, Alearie let go of his hands, realizing how tightly she had held them. 'They're so soft…' she thought as she walked through the door, waiting for him to show her the way. Baralai motioned for her to follow him, and they walked down the long bright colored hallways. He didn't disrupt her, seeing her stare open-mouthed, eyes shining as her eyes explored the new territory. Finally getting to their destination, she gasped. Never in her whole life, had she seen a feast like this. Food was layered and put in transparent plates, stacked high. Strange symbols also decorated the walls and tables; this also sent another click into her brain. Baralai suppressed a laugh. It was funny to watch her react to new things. He broke the silence, "Where'd you come from?" A frown immediately replaced her astonished look. "Uh…" She had to think of something fast, and since this was obviously not her world, she looked around frantically until her eyes rested on a plaque with a map labeled, "Besaid." Another click went through her mind, there sure was something fishy going on with the sudden clicks, and she was going to find out what, but for now, she would need to focus on what was happening now. She looked back at him, and hurriedly exclaimed, "Besaid!" 

"Besaid? Well that's a nice, peaceful place to live at!" He was fumbling to find something to talk about. Noticing this, Alearie picked up a random fruit, and tossed it at him, (amazed with his speed and catching skills, he wasn't even paying attention when she picked it up, and *Alearie thinking he had a sixth sense* caught it immediately)"Is this good?"

That question had caught him off guard, and he looked at her with a puzzled look on his face. The fruit was mainly from Besaid. Thinking she had probably just not eaten it before, he answered slowly, "Yeah…"

Not noticing the puzzled expression he gave her, she grabbed another one, and took a bite. A thoughtful expression came onto her face. "Baralai, uh, do you think we could go visit some places? You know, just for a little bit, I'll understand if you're too busy…" He cut her off, not even letting her finish.

"Sure, we can go right now, I'll just notify the priests and guards." And with that, he immediately left. She blinked. 'Well then…' she thought, and continues to munch away at the fruit, then threw it away. 

Baralai ran all the way to the top floor to tell the priests and guards. "Yes, um, I'll be away for a few days," The priest's eyes fell to the fruit in his hands. Baralai noticed his gaze, and hid it behind his back. The priest nodded, but asked one question, "Are you taking the girl with you?" Baralai's eyes dropped, and he stuttered, "Well, u-um, y-yeah." His face was burning. The priest nodded, and turned around, smirking, the praetor had finally fallen for someone. This was gonna be interesting. 

She had watched him return, his face flustered. 'I'll question him about it later, maybe,' she thought. 

"Ready?" Baralai asked.

"You betcha!"

"Well, okay then, let's go!"

'Wow, he's loosened up' she chuckled quietly at this thought. She followed him outside, as they walked towards Moonflow. The long grass and tall redwoods reflected off a lakeside as they stopped for a bit. They had chatted for quite some time now, and were laughing insanely. Alearie sat down in front of the calm waters as her fingertips gently felt the warm waves, trying to stop herself from having another laughing attack. She and him had exchanged their most embarrassing moments. Baralai stared out into the sky, then plopped down beside her, and watched her finger the water. The sun was setting, and colors exploded out into the sky. Alearie stopped, and looked at the sunset, smiling, she let out a soft sigh, murmuring, "It's beautiful." 'Not as beautiful as you,' Baralai thought in his mind. "Not as beautiful as you," Baralai was just aware of what had happened. He closed his eyes, he hoped she hadn't heard him, and he was having a _very_ difficult time trying to stop himself from smacking himself in the head. Instead, he held his face in his hands. It took her two seconds to recollect what had just happened. Blinking, her eyes widened, and she turned to stare at him, only to see his face buried in his hands. Obviously taking the hint, she poked his arm, and when he looked at her, she smiled, pretending that she hadn't heard him. It was pitch black outside; the stars and moon were their only source of light. She shivered; the gunner's outfit didn't really give her much warmth. Baralai, noticing her shiver, wrapped his right arm around her, while Alearie rested her head on his shoulder. She was tired, and fell asleep, this time, without knowing it; she was clinging tightly onto his shirt.

~Baralai's POV~

She had fallen asleep on him, not that he minded though. He watched the pyreflies dance among the water lilies, and then proceeded to gently lift her up, and take her the hotel. She was very light, and her warm breathing tickled his neck, as he was walking along the pathway. He had prayed that no fiends would be lurking around the wooded area, meanwhile, glancing every now and then at the 'sleeping beauty'. Once at the hotel, he paid for the room, and walked up the stairs, and to the door. Trying to ram the key in without disturbing her, he walked into the room. They had gotten the last one to have two beds, and he set her on one of them. Taking some blankets, he wrapped her around with them, staring at her. The radiance of her drove him crazy, and to settle himself down, he lightly kissed her forehead, and walked to his bed.

~Alearie's POV~

She had another nightmare. The same dream was recurring, but this time, now, light broke through, clashed with a ring of fire, water, and earth. Stars were shining brightly, and a weird message was spoken throughout the whole dream, the first part sounded the same in the last dream, but now, there was more. 

__

Tecrynsuho meac drnuikruid,

Ht y saccyka,

Crymm pa fneddah eh dra cdync,

Du damm uv tacdeho'c vydat lymm.

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Teehee!!! It's a curse!! I say 'teehee' all the time…my friend also came up with a nickname for me…'The Teeheeir'. Anyway, I'm starting on Chapter 5 now, so it'll be there soon! I hope you peeps didn't have trouble with the Al Bhed, (there you know what language it's in) if you do, just say the word, and I'll put the translations here. Okays!!! Time for translations!!! 

__

For a messenger lies unwoken,

Time's circle of stars has been broken,

Fire, Water, Earth Darkness, and Light,

The spirit within,

Shall release the shadows,

And bring eternal night.

Disharmony lies throughout,

And a message,

Shall be written in the stars,

To tell of destiny's fated call.

Tifa-Carbuncle- Thanks for reviewing me again! Yup! I'll update soon! Teehee, don't worry I'll come to your funeral after your reviewers strangle you!!! ^_^ I'm glad you like this fanfic too! Teehee, I'm gonna read some more of your fanfics, they're REALLY good!!!

Looney-lass-Thanks for your support! I'm glad people actually like this fic! Don't worry, I'll update soon!

Gleaming Gem-Thanks for reviewing me, and oh, please update your fic! It's really good! 

^-^ By the way, I put the translations for the Al Bhed from the third chapter to this fourth chapter, in order of course.


	5. A Perfect Moment

The next chappy!! Please review me!!

Oh yeah, and thankies for everyone who reviewed me!!! Oh yeah, and this part is the next day AFTER her dream in chapter 4.

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Worlds Apart: Chapter 5 A Perfect Moment 

Baralai lazily rolled over, yawned, stretched, rubbed his eyes, and coughed twice. It was a daily routine of his. Something caught his eye; the bed beside him was empty. Jogging down the stairs, trying not to be too concerned, he quickly checked out of the hotel, and raced through the entrance doors. Glancing around, he saw her patting a shoopuff. Relieved, he raced up to her.

She heard footsteps running towards her. Turning, she saw Baralai there, and raised her eyebrows, but smiled. "Did ya miss me?" she asked, with a childish smirk, and leaned in towards him. 

Startled, he practically jumped two feet high, and Alearie, seeing this, began to laugh uncontrollably, clutching her stomach, shaking all over, while her newly French-braided pigtails seemed to flap around simultaneously with her laughing.

Seemingly embarrassed at this, his scratched the back of his head, and chuckled nervously. "Uh, you okay?" he questioned after 10 minutes of non-stop laughter. He started to wonder if she could breathe after all that laughing. Walking up to her, he touched her shoulder lightly. She, in return, replied, "Y-yeah, *giggle* I-I'm fine. It's just that you looked like a chocobo, when you jumped back like that!" _'Wait, when did I know what a chocobo was?" _She dismissed the thought for now.

He looked at her weirdly, but started laughing too, but only for a second. Then, he flashed her a grin *while Alearie felt like melting*. "Ready to keep going?" Not really waiting for an answer, (he sorta already knew the answer) he reached out and took her hand, while Alearie looked slightly bewildered. Though not really looking forward to passing through Guadosalam, he slowly walked over to the shoopuff. Oh the shoopuff, Alearie sat down beside Baralai, humming, and partly mumbling "Toxic" softly, thinking about Baralai during the whole song.

**__**

Baby can't you see,

I'm calling,

A guy like you,

Should wear a warning,

It's dangerous,

I'm fallin'

There's no escape,

I can't wait,

I need a hit,

Baby give me it,

You're dangerous,

I'm lovin' it,

Too high,

Can't come down,

Losing my head,

Spinning 'round and 'round,

Do you feel me now?

With a taste of your lips,

I'm on a ride,

You're toxic,

I'm slipping under,

With a taste of a poison paradise,

I'm addicted to you,

Don't you know that you're toxic?

And I love what you do,

Don't you know that you're toxic?

It's getting late,

To give you up,

I took a sip,

From my devil's cup,

Slowly,

It's taking over me,

Too high,

Can't come down,

It's in the air,

And it's all around,

Can you feel me now?

With a taste of your lips,

I'm on a ride,

You're toxic,

I'm slipping under,

With a taste of a poison paradise,

I'm addicted to you,

Don't you know that you're toxic?

And I love what you do,

Don't you know that you're toxic?

Don't you know that you're toxic?

With a taste of you're lips

I'm on a ride,

You're toxic,

I'm slipping under,

With a taste of a poison paradise,

I'm addicted to you,

Don't you know that you're toxic?

With a taste of you're lips,

I'm on a ride,

You're toxic,

I'm slipping under,

With a taste of a poison paradise,

I'm addicted to you,

Don't you know that you're toxic?

Intoxicate me now,

With your lovin' now,

I think I'm ready now,

I think I'm ready now,

Intoxicate me now,

With your lovin' now,

I think I'm ready now

Baralai, though, could still hear exactly what she was singing, wondering who she was singing about, after seeing her dreamy state. Jealously was pulling at him, and he was twitching uncontrollably. Singing it for the second time, she noticed Baralai clenching his fists, "You okay?" she asked, slightly concerned, and wondering what was bugging him. "Yeah" he spoke through clenched teeth, and his smile looked awfully forced. 

"I don't buy it, what's wrong?"

"U-uh, nothing"

"Sure…"

"Yeah"

"Oh come ON!" She was getting very impatient, and she was practically sitting on top of his lap *not that Baralai really minded*.

"E-er…?"

"Pweasy?" she gave him the puppy look, and to her delight, he gave in, and she bounced with joy hugging him.

"W-well, I…uh…wanted to know, who…uh, were you singing about?" While he said this, he was concentrating really hard on his shoes.

Slightly gaping, she snapped her mouth shut '_He _heard_ me?!' _was replaying in her mind, over and over again. _'Shit! Shit! Shit!'_ Alearie shifted uncomfortably, but then the shoopuff had stopped at their destination. _'Yes! Saved by the shoopuff!' _murmuring thanks the sky over and over, she quickly jumped off. 

Waiting for Baralai to come down, she saw an upsetting expression on his face, replaced immediately by a monotonous expression. Guilt swept over her, and she regretted not telling him. Gathering courage, she ran up to him, grasping his arm, she stood on her toes (she was quite shorter than him, after all, she was only 5'1'' though very slender) and whispered in his ear, her warm breath making him dizzy. "Can we talk about it later?" her voice was unnaturally low, and he breathed heavily as her lips brushed his ear when she turned away. Nodding slowly, they walked down through the path towards Guadosalam. 

Every now and then, she'd see him glancing at her, then, when their eyes met, he'd turn abruptly away. _'Whoa, is it just me, or is he checking me out…?'_ She giggled at her thought. _'I've really lost it'_. Skipping happily, the afternoon sun had already started setting. Reaching Guadosalam, they rushed down the exit towards the Thunder Plains. 

A thunderbolt struck as they appeared outside, and Alearie jumped, clutching onto a laughing Baralai. "Hey…it's not THAT funny!!! The thunderbolt almost hit me!!!" She protested as Baralai continued to laugh. Punching his arm slightly, she continued to clutch to him, scanning the sky for more thunderbolts. "They won't hit you," he said, after seeing that she was still clutching to him in a death grip. "Uh huh…" she said absentmindedly, obviously not about to take a chance for another thunderbolt to try and electrocute her. Still watching the sky, she looked like a wet cat stuck in the rain. Wet, but not really that cold, she pranced around him. Putting her head in a comfortable position on his shoulder, she heedlessly blinked up at him.

Baralai looked down at her, and acting on instinct, wrapped his arms around her wet body, holding her close. Surprising him, she too wrapped her arms around his neck, listening to his heartbeat, completely unaware of what was going on in the world around them. She just stood there, the only thing that she was aware of was him, and she could no longer feel the damp, frigid, rain; nor the darkness and cloudy skies. Hesitating, Baralai lifted his hand slowly, putting under her chin, and raised it up. Immediately opening her eyes, she stared deeply into his soft ones, letting the calm sensation take over. She could feel his presence coming down slowly, and then his breath growing heavier, as his lips brushed down her forehead. Her heart stopped beating as he stopped a few millimeters away from her lips. Waiting for permission, he looked into her eyes, and seeing the longing in there, he pressed his lips against hers, while she deepened the kiss. Their tongues explored and they were almost devouring each other, and Baralai's free hand went up to hold her waist, while the other was caressing her cheek tenderly. It was a perfect moment.

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Okay…I don't really like Britney Spears, but I like this song, so I put it in there…don't hate me!!! *coughs* Okay, yay!!! People are reviewing me!!! Teehee!!!! Just to remind you peeps again, I DON'T MIND CRITICISM!!!! Well anyways, look out for chapter 6!!! Oh yeah, and THANK YOU to my ever faithful reviewers!! I luv ya!! ^_^ Thankies again!!! 

Looney-lass-I should be the one thanking you!! You reviewed me again!!! *jumps up and down happily* Anyway, I'm glad you love my fic!!! ^_~

Sephulbadis-Thanks for reviewing me!!! Yeah, I didn't really like the POVs either! I hope you liked the story anyway!!! ^_^

Gleaming Gem-Teehee!! Yeah, I slack at things too, but I'm really glad you reviewed me!! Thanks!! Stay tuned for chapter 6!!

Tifa-Carbuncle- I'm SOOO glad you reviewed me!!! You're sooo nice!!! I won't mind hearing from you when I put up a new chapter!!! Oh yeah, you can borrow 'teehee' anytime!! I've said it sooo much around my friends, that they've started saying it too! Teehee!!

MiNi SoRcErEsS- Wowness!! You reviewed me for each chapter!!! THANK YOU sooo much!!!! I'm really glad you like this fic!!! Chapter 6 will be coming soon!! Teehee!!


	6. You're Our Only Hope

The next chappy!! Please review me!!

Oh yeah, and thankies for everyone who reviewed me!!! You peeps are SOOO kind!!!

Yeah…for anyone whose not checked my bio to see what's with the slow update…

I've been playing Xenosaga Episode I Der Wille Zur Macht (The Will To Power…don't worry the game isn't in German, but you'll catch a few lines every once in a while that's German, like the ships, enemies, etc.) and it's REALLY fun!!! Well, for me, I had to get to the middle before I got sucked in…but anyway I'm done with it!! I'm sooo happy!!! All right…enough blabbering from me!!!

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Worlds Apart: Chapter 6 You're Our Only Hope

"Hey, you two, get a room why don't ya?!" the man was just outside the Thunder Plains Travel Agency. 

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Alearie gasped and jumped off Baralai, turning very red, she played with her hands, now behind her back, having a guilty look plastered all over her face. Baralai blinked and put on an unreadable face. Nodding, his face softened as he looked at Alearie, and motioned for her to follow him. She smiled, nodding, as he turned back around. 

She watched him start walking away, as thoughts went running through her mind. 'Will I ever…go home? Not that I want to…' Also, one drifted closer to her beginning to be more and more persistent. 'Why is this world so…familiar? And what of these dreams?'

Shaking these thoughts away, Alearie slowly walked in Baralai's direction, towards Macalania. Going past the huge lighting rod towers, which hovered above her. She continued walking on; the earth below her shaking each time the lighting was channeled through a tower. This place was so dark and dreary, very different to her likings. 

She ran, for letting her guard down to dark and dreary things seemed to let her painful memories catch up. She knew she had to face them sometime, although right now she just needed to run, yes, to outrun her memories. Running made her feel free, not bound to anything. It was a time when she could just not think about anything at all, just feel the wind whipping through her face to lift away everything was all she could ever want…but now, now something else soothed her and made er experience fun that she'd never had before, not even with her friends. 

It was when she was with Baralai. The way he laughed, the way he got embarrassed about something, but most of all, the way he cared about her. His expression was always soft around her, and his touch was equally soft, but protecting. She felt safe around him, and she loved it. 

The damp, wet, and frigid rain was finally getting to her, and she shivered. Baralai stopped, seeing her shiver; he hesitantly wrapped one of his arms around her, while the other enclosed her hands.

"Let's stop a bit," his voice was soothing, as if he was talking to a child. Nodding in reply, she closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of his body. They came to a complete stop, and she gasped in surprise. It looked exactly like the beach where she woke up, where she came, except crystallized. 

Coming closer to the water, she walked…on top of it?! The cool water rippled gently around her feet as she continued onward. Splashes if blue surrounded her, while tints of the rainbow reflected off sides of crystal trees and pathways. Strange vibes were coming around her body. "Not good…" her voice was hardly audible, and she felt something happening. Bright beams of golden light raised her up from the water, leaving her suspended in the air. They danced around her, before she was gone.

Throughout this, Baralai was shouting for Alearie, but his voice seemed to be drowned out but the light. Now, he ran swiftly around the area, calling out for her. It was a futile attempt. "Alearie," his voice seemed to tremble, barely above a whisper. Leaning down, he banged his fist against the ground, leaving a dent, and hung his head in his hands.

Stars. There were stars everywhere. It was beautiful, and mysterious. The dark, navy blue mixed in with black, while tiny shimmers of gold penetrate the dark. A black hole was seen in the distance of this big galaxy. It looked a lot like a glowing portal to her, outlined by stars. The vibrant colors of planets and stars filled her head, making her almost dizzy. 

She looked over each of the planets, '1...2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9...10.…11...12,13,14...wait…14?!!' Her mind was screaming 'WHAT?!' while she counted in her head again. "Freaky!" It was true, she had counted correctly. "Maybe, maybe, I've fallen asleep, yeah, that's it…" Something told her that it wasn't it, this was really happening. 

A faint sound was heard in the distance, it sounded much like a song, heard in…her dreams. It played over and over again, grower stronger and stronger, but peaceful and delicate, sorrowful, but sweet. 

__

Vun y saccahkan meac ihfugah, 

Desa'c lenma uv cdync ryc paah pnugah, 

Vena, Fydan, Ayndr, Tynghacc, 

yht Mekrd, Dra cbened fedreh, 

Crymm namayca dra crytufc, 

Du pnehk adanhym hekrd.

Tecrynsuho meac drnuikruid, 

Du y saccyka, 

Crymm pa fneddah eh dra cdync, 

Du damm uv tacdeho'c vydat lymm.

Uhmo uha du pnehk, 

Rynsuho uv dra ceq, 

Pid uhmo uha du pnehk tacdnildeuh, 

Du dra Ihejanca uv cbyla yht desa. 

Suddenly, another spread of light filled her eyes; she was falling, slowly, falling…

A voice was faintly heard, before the drop, "You're our only hope."

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Okay, Okay!!!! The second shortest chapter I've written in this fic…sorry!!! It's hard when you've had writer's block for a while!! Anyway, please review me!!! Teehee!!! Thanks to my reviewers!!! You guys are the greatest in the fanfic world!!! Byes for now!!! ^_~

Tifa_Carbuncle-Yep!!! She got to kiss Baralai!!!! Teehee!!! Yeah, more like…"The Universal Queen of Angst"!!! Your stories could make you the Universal Queen!!! Well, hope ya liked Chapter 6!!! While I now make Chapter 7, I'll be reading your stories a well!! Thank You times…well…a lot!!!^.^

Looney_lass-Coolness!!!! Okay!!! Whatever floats your boat!!! Though Thank You SOOO Much for the reviews!!! It's great that you wanna review me for each chapter!! I'll enjoy getting them!!! Watch out for Chapter 7!!!! *Hugs* ^.~

MiNi SoRcErEsS-Teehee!!!!! Thank you again for reviewing me!!! You're are soo kind!!! People like you brighten a person's day VERY easily!!!! Teehee!!! I'm really glad you like my fic!!!! I can really relate to you though, my computer gets screwed up ALL the time, it seems. Well, whoever said computers were smart anyway. Keep looking for Chapter 7!!!! ^-^


	7. Back To Reality

Yay!!! The next chappy!!! You people were probably gonna strangle me for the long wait, but teehee?? Oh well, at least you'll have what you want now!! Oh yeah, the songie is from Linkin Park and it's called 'Easier to Run'. Yeah, I haven't been listening to Linkin Park for a while, and after listening to 'Easier to Run', it fit into the story perfectly, so I used it!!! Now, onto Evanescence!!! sings along with 'My Immortal' Anyway, enjoy the chappy!!! .

Oh yes, and thankies to all you faithful reviewers!!! I'm so happy!!! cries from joy

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Worlds Apart: Chapter 7 Back to Reality

__

_Pain_. The only thing that entered her mind as she reluctantly sat up. Her neck and back ached, and she lifted her hands to her neck, massaging, while standing up from the uncomfortable position. Opening her eyes to a squint, her jaws dropped open, and she groaned. She was back home.

__

It's easier to run

Replacing this pain with something numb

It's so much easier to go

Than facing all tithes pain her all alone

Her hands flew to the ground picking up the sand and shells the tide had cast away. It was true, this was real. She sank down dejectedly, scanning the beach, and closed her eyes. Her wonderful dream fantasy was woken up, and thrown into the hard, cold world of reality.

__

Something has been taken

From deep inside of me

A secret I've kept locked away

No one can ever see

Wounds so deep they never show

They never go away

Like moving pictures in my head

For years and years they've played

She got up quickly, and did the only thing that came to mind, the only thing that seemed to make her feel better. She screamed, as loud as she could, trying to forget everything that happened to her, and started running. Cowards' way out, she knew, but she had to get away, even if it meant running away from painful memories, again.

__

Sometimes I remember

The darkness of my past

Bringing back these memories

I wish I didn't have

Sometimes I think of letting go

And never looking back

And never moving forward so

There would never be a past

All the great memories she had there, at that fateful day, turned painful, and she started to regret coming to the beach, and ever finding that horrid place. It was an empty dream to her, and that it was only softening her, making her more vulnerable, or so she convinced herself.

__

Just washing it aside

All of the helplessness inside

Pretending I don't feel misplaced

Is so much simpler than change

Her anger convinced herself that that was the reason she couldn't hold her tears back from just getting hurt from her so called "boyfriend". She was usually stronger than that, and maybe she was softening up too much.

__

It's easier to run

Replacing this pain with something numb

It's so much easier to go

Than face all this pain here all alone

But no. That dream was too real to be a dream, it seemed. Baralai's touch was so soft, so comforting, just taking all the pain away, and bringing happiness. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't a dream after all.

She pondered a bit, and after awhile of convincing herself that this was true, (she still didn't believe that it wasn't a dream) her happy-self appeared once more, only to be drowned out by the question, 'What about my family, everyone will be worried…'

Her parents!!! Her eyes went wide, as she turned back, running as fast as she could possibly go, almost running into a car, nearly dodging a tree, and almost tripping over some stones. "Mom!!!!!"

She yelled, busting through the door, panting.

"Yes, dear? Did you have a great time with Greg?" Her mom was smiling while making finishing touches to the dinner she made. "Sorry I'm late Mom, wait…huh? Yeah, I had a great time…" she lied, but was still confused. "What are you talking about? You're early!" Her mom gave Alearie a questioning look, then smirked. "So THAT'S why you were running. You thought you were late?"

She shook her head, rinsing off her hands, and drying them on her red, checkered apron. Laughing, she took it off, and started setting the table, while Alearie eagerly helped, flushing with embarrassment.

"Alearie, what's that hooked too your jeans?" She immediately looked down, seeing a Yevon looking backpack with a tiny silver clasp hooked onto one of her jean hooks. While she was fumbling for an answer, her mom asked, "Did you buy that with Greg?" Deciding to go with that, she answered "Uh…yeah, I bought that with him." Not giving her anymore time to say anything else, Alearie scampered off.

After dinner, Alearie walked the stairs to her room. It had a nice, faint blue-ish glow to it, and she collapsed onto her bed, staring out the window. Hundreds of stars crowded her view. Remembering the backpack, she unzipped it slowly, and gasped at the sight before her. It was the gunner sphere she used. This time she was sure of it. It wasn't a dream after all. Which also meant…this sent her mind flying back to the place where she saw the universe, and heard a voice…

Again, writer's block is SOOO SUPER-DUPER-MEGA MEAN!!!!! Anyhow, it's summer!!! So hopefully, I'll update sooner!!! Teehee!!! Anyway, byes for now!!! Also, lotsa luv for my reviewers!!! hugs them all

**TifaCarbuncle-Teehee!!! Thanks for the review!!! is happy & hugs Yay!!! I can't wait to finish reading your fanfic!!! I'm gonna probably read ALL of your fanfics!!! They're so good, and make me cry!!!**

**Looneylass-Still, you rock!! You've reviewed me for my whole fanfic thingy so far!!! TEEHEE!!!! Your reviews are also so kind too!!! hugs Keep in touch!!! Love, Tainted**

**MiNi SoRcErEsS-Teehee!!! Don't worry about it!!! I have many lame brain moments and my friends have called me 'Legally Blonde' although I'm not blonde, and many of my friends that ARE blonde don't have blonde moments!!! It's that weird? Anyhow my comp. screws up a lot too, comp. are mean!!! Thankies for the review!!!**

**Cute-kitty2-Teehee!!! Thanks for the review, AND for checking over my translations!!! I would've never caught that!!! Teehee!!! Yup!!! I hope you continue to read this fic!!! Anyway…thankies!!!**

**EvaBliss-Nina-Teehee!!! Wow!! You're my first reviewer who actually e-mailed me!!! WOOHOO!!!! high-fives Yah!!!! Well, sorry for making you wait so long!!!! I hope you like this chapter!!! Chapter 8 is coming up!!! Teehee!!!! Thanks for reviewing me!!!! And for the moogle plushie!!!!!! I LOVE MOOGLES!!!!!!!!!!! hugs**


	8. Necklaces and Guns

The next chappy!!!! Sorry for the long wait…teehee??? Anyhow, you've got what you want now…right!?!?! Teehee!!! Blah, I have to do essays during the summer…EVIL!!! Anyhow, this site won't let me put the stars in!!!! I dun get it!!!! Oh well, I guess I'll have to do with out stars and little line thingys, I'll just replace them with something… Okay, I'll stop blabbering now and let you read!!!

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Worlds Apart: Chapter 8 Necklaces, and Guns

She woke up. Yawning, Alearie stretched, yawned some more, and groggily attempted to get out of bed. Instead, she flopped off and landed onto the floor. Muttering, Alearie rubbed her eyes and at least got them to focus, to hunt for the bathroom. She was _not_ a morning person today.

Hurriedly, she seized whatever clothes she'd snatched first, and entered the bathroom, looking into the mirror. She was a mess, her hair was twisted and pointed in all directions, and she looked pretty pale.

Placing her hands on her hips, she made a disapproving frown, and turned the sink on, turning the handles to 'cold'. Thrusting her hands into the cold water, she leaned down and splashed her face, feeling the tingling and frigid sensation take over. She looked into the mirror for a split-second, before grabbing a toothbrush, and plunging it in water.

After brushing her teeth, Alearie took a shower, scrubbing any gunk in her hair, and body. She filled the bath up, and took her bubble bath bottle, depositing some of the liquid in. She soaked in it, and closed her eyes.

Memories of her trip flooded back AGAIN, and she immediately opened her eyes, looking at her toes in an annoyed fashion. 'OKAY, mind!!! Can't you ATLEAST wait 'till breakfast!??!!? SHEESH!!!' she scolded her mind, while hurriedly draining the water, and getting her towel.

Putting on somewhat matching clothing, (hell, it wasn't as if she CARED today) she put her hair up in quick ponytail before dashing down the stairs, the yevonite backpack clanging on her jeans. "MomI'mgonnaogtothebeachtomeetafewfriendsthereokayIloveyoubye!" A piece of toast popped out a few seconds after Alearie yanked it out and was out the door.

Her mom blinked. It took a few seconds before she could comprehend everything that her daughter had just said. "Okay honey, be care-" she turned around and the kitchen was empty, while the curtains blew softly. "Oh nevermind," shaking her head and slightly rolling her eyes, she went back to cooking breakfast.

After her house was out of sight, Alearie slowed to a walk, munching on toast thoughtfully. She wondered how she was ever going to be able to stay with Baralai. She couldn't stay there forever…although she really, REALLY wanted to. Family, friends, she couldn't leave them, although there was a _certain_ someone that she wanted to kick in the balls and laugh evilly while he'd willow in pain. Smirking at the thought, she finished her toast, turning a corner.

There it was. The place that so many of her memories lie. Glancing at the sandy shores, her eyes scanned over the turquoise water, finally reaching to the light golden hues of daybreak. Her bright pupils rested there for another second, before looking down at the backpack.

Unzipping it, she carefully took out the faintly glowing orb. At her touch, the orb glowed brightly, as she held it in front of her. 'What should I do next?' biting her lip, she closed her eyes, and concentrated. To her delight, a tingling sensation went through her body, and when she opened her eyes again, she was a gunner! Grinning, she ran to the shores. "Now what?" she thought aloud. Alearie looked around cluelessly until her eyes rested on something small and shiny in her backpack. 'Hey…I've never seen this before.' Taking it out, she curiously examined it. It was a necklace. A tiny silver charm of a dragon-like beast with wings attached to its back, and a ring like from behind it's wings decorated the necklace, which was held with a thin slivery chain. Shrugging, she unclasped it and put it on.

Within seconds, a bright glow of light exploded from the charm, and an equally bright light appearing from the sky in a straight line, until opening from all sides around her. Alearie gasped, holding onto the necklace tightly. The gold skies disappeared, and instead, were replaced black walls and ceilings. She was on a lighted pathway, though everything around her was dark and dreary.

A shadow was lurking in the trees behind her, watching her every move. The tall figure cloaked in dark navy, easily mistaken for black gave a wry smile before disappearing completely.

Biting her lip, she looked around again, turning in a complete circle. A piece of hair fell in her face, and she blew it away. It was just her luck to find herself in a place she didn't know. Dejectedly, Alearie started walking forward, not knowing which direction to take.

After what seemed like miles of walking, she saw a man, just idly standing with his back faced to her. Sighing in relief, she was gonna get out of here! "Excuse me…" she tapped him on the shoulder, but when he turned around, millions of spirits started to float around him, and he grabbed out at her.

Just in time, she ducked, and he had missed. Angry and confused, her emotions started to well up, and immediately, a pair of guns appeared in her hands. "SWEET!!!" Holding them up, she grinned mischievously.

Alearie was a big fan of Resident Evil, (the only friends that played video games were guys, and they only introduced her to horror games) and she loved to kill the zombies and go on shooting rampages. Getting into the fighting spirit, she pointed one of her guns at him and yelled, "Your ass is GRASS!!!" and with that, she charged.

Overjoyed that she was using magnums, she thought of an attack that she loved to use in Resident Evil. …of course!!! She absolutely LOVED to use the sub-machine guns and fire them at top speed. A smile spread across her face, why not use do the same thing with these, but maybe fire each one quickly right after each other? Shooting rapidly, she fired the shots, but quickly stopped after a minute…these bad boys were heavy!

The 'thing' attacked. Although Alearie tried to avoid it, it didn't miss, leaving a decent cut from her right knee to the top of her shorts. Crying out, more from anger than pain, she glared, charging back, and with more power than she had ever thought she had, she did a flip, (the gymnastic lessons paid off!) before kicking the 'thing' down and jumped back slightly, bombarding it with bullets.

It wouldn't die so easily though. Right before it's death, it bellowed out, rising up, and a powerful red flash hit Alearie, who covered her eyes with her arm. It seemed like all her energy was drained out of her. She could hear the last cries of that monster before it became a memory. 'Yes' she mentally did a victory dance.

She was too weak to stand. Her mind screamed, 'REST' and her vision kept getting blurry every few minutes. She limped forward, trying her best to avoid anything. Unfortunately for her, a gigantic hard-shelled dragon (different from her necklace) kept stampeding to the other side of the wall. At this rate, trying to run past was definitely out of the question.

She groaned, and it turned towards her. 'Uh oh…' she thought, mentally slapping herself for being so stupid. It charged towards her, and she knew it was the end. She was angry. Angry at herself for being so weak, and angry that she was about to die. She hated dieing in video games. It wasn't because she was afraid of dieing, it was because it annoyed her, so she would always reset the game before she died, and start again. Now she really wished there was a reset button.

She waited for the blow, and it came…_HARD_. "Ugh…." She groaned, but surprised that she wasn't dead yet. Energy suddenly ran through her, and immediately she was flared up. "YOU'RE GONNA PAY!"

A blue light blazed around her, and she charged, not being able to control her body, she was shooting and kicking like mad. Finally it stopped, and she was lifted up by a bright yellow light from the necklace. Angel wings appeared for a few seconds before vanishing and the light illuminated the whole area. The dragon disintegrated, and the bright light dimmed.

Alearie dropped to the floor, even weaker. She couldn't stand, she was just too tried. She heard a voice…it sounded like Baralai. He came into view, and he had the softest look in his eyes. The dim light was still faintly there, it seemed to protect her, and it gave off a warm glow that made her feel warm too. Alearie saw Baralai speak a little more, caressing her face before she passed out completely.

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I watched The Ring last night with my friends…EEEP!!! It was sad and scary…but I liked how it was a mystery!!!! But anyhow, I can't wait to see The Ring 2, even though I was hiding with my friends that were sacred…which was two…teehee??? I think people who watch the movie would think that it's boring, if they didn't believe it, but those who like to think anything's possible would love it!!!! …maybe…Anyhow, THANKIES TO ALL MY REVIEWERS!!!! You people are SOOO cool!!!!

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Tifa-Carbuncle-Since this site won't seem to let me put underscore either!!! ::pouts:: Oh wells…thanks for reviewing me, AND e-mailing me!! You're fun to talk to!!! Also, I'm gonna read your KOTOR fanfic!!! Erf!! I've been having a VERY busy week!! Sorry!!! I've only gotten on the computer today, so I could upload this chapter!!! Good thing you're making more fanfics, cause without them, and MANY others…I would be VERY bored!!! ::shudders at thought:: Anyhow, THANK YOU for your review!!!! ::huggles:: .

Looney-lass- Well then…you TRIPLE ROCK!!!! You're such a nice reviewer!!!! And if you EVER make a fanfic, you'd better bet I'm gonna read & review 'em!!! ::nods:: I bet you'd be a good writer!!!! BTW, sorry for making you wait so long for me to continue my fic!!! ::huggles:: I'm glad you're watching for the next chapters though!!! ::is happy:: Well, stay in touch Jo, and THANKIES for reviewing my ficcy!!!!!!! LYLAS!!!! - Selphie .

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MiNi SoRcErEsS- Coolness!!! I love Evanescence & Linkin Park too!!!!! ::dances around like a maniac:: Yeah, mine AND my friends' comps. Have been screwing up lately…what's up with THAT!??!!? Anyhow, I'll be updating!!! THANK YOU for reviewing my ficcy!!! I feel so special!!!! ::grins:: L8er!!!! .


	9. The Future And An Invitation

Oh my! How long has it been since I've updated this! EEPS!! I am SOOO SORRY for not updating this! Well, homework has been killing me, demanding my time ever single day…blah. I'm here with this chapter, though! I have an idea for the next chapter, too, so it hopefully won't take too long for that one to be completed! Another sincere apology to all my reviewers and the people who read this fanfic. Hope you all don't hate my completely! The songs don't belong to me; obviously, they belong to Celine Dion "Falling Into You" Here's the chapter!

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Worlds Apart: Chapter 9 The Future And An Invitation

Alearie remembered this place. This was where the fourteen planets were, and she was drifting in space again, watching as stars flew by.

A girl with what it seemed to be, light tinted blue hair that went all the way to her ankles, was clothed in an ornate white dress. The arms of the dress were thin white lace woven around her arms, and came down in thick, ruffled, cuffs at her hands.

She wore one ring on her long, slender, fingers with a star-shaped diamond, set in strands of gold and silver, so thin, wrapped around each other to support the diamond. Her dress was laced up at her torso with white behind it, and her dress was very elegant and puffy. Her long, straight, hair was decorated with white flowers, and her eyes were of a silver-blue pigment.

She smiled gently, and appeared to be saying something, and holding out her hand, and pointing to six of the fourteen planets, pausing at each one, and looking at her longingly. Each of the planets she pointed to had a specific element.

Each planet was a certain color. The first was shades of crimson red, in which that planet burned constantly. Second, were deep hues of blue, swirling around like mist in whirlpools of water. Third, were dark shades of green mixed with some browns, and this planet looked fairly bumpy and coarse. The fourth planet was deep shades of purple, with a solid form, but a few dark clouds hung over the planet. The fifth and sixth planets seemed special, or at least seemed to have more importance to Alearie.

The fifth planet was so bright; Alearie could hardly glance at it for more than a few minutes. It's light covered the entire planet, and a light white mist covered it, which helped Alearie look at it longer, and under the mist, you could see a very, very faint rainbow. Although the light covered the entire planet, you could still see parts of the actual planet, which was a golden yellow.

The sixth planet, however, was a silver color, under all its gray clouds and mist. It resembled the fifth planet very much, and reminded Alearie of the golden and silver strands on the girl's ring, except one was light, and very bright, and the other was a bright silver, but seemingly dreary and gloomy. Those six planets were in a circle, and each had a star near it, each the color of its planet, but in a lighter hue, and those six stars made an inner-circle in the circle of the planets.

Next, was a series of events. The beautiful girl looked back at Alearie, put one finger up, as if to wait, then looked sadly back at the scene, pointing her finger there again. All the stars in space seemed to be forming some type of writing that she could not understand across the sky, over, and over, and over again. A white light joined each of the planets and stars like a bond. Then, the sixth planet shifted out of the circle, causing the light between to become broken, but was still faintly there.

Dark black and gray swirls of mist overtook the planet, and then started to spread itself around to the other planets. The other planets soon became dull, except for the fifth planet. The white light that joined each of the planets and stars like a bond, in a matter of seconds, was turned red, and scattered, all aiming against one another. The force of this red light was so great, it turned into a big beam and an explosion was heard. All other planets were wiped out except the fifth and sixth planets.

Then, another girl appeared in the distance, her hair was flapping gallantly in space from the force of the explosion. She observed the planets below her. Her bangs were parting from her face because of the explosion, and because of this, revealed what looked like a combination of an alpha, omega, and infinite sign on her forehead. She looked _extremely_ familiar to Alearie, and she didn't know why. Her hair was black, but had gold and silver streaks in it. She looked ready for battle, and looked very prepared.

Wearing a ruffled, pleated, very light, tinted, blue skirt, a silver belt hung loosely around it, leaning to one side, and it had strange writing on it, which was "messenger, angel". Her top looked slightly like a cami, which was white. Over her top was gold armor (yeah, I know, gold this, silver that, you probably know the meaning of the colors though…lol) that only covered her neck and right under her chest, which went around her back to the same spots (it stopped in mid-back like the front stopped right under her chest).

The armor looked slightly like it was cuffed, but without the buttons at the neck, and their was an engraved border around her armor. (I drew a picture of her, too bad I don't have a scanner to show people, since I'm so bad at explaining this…) An ornate spiral-like design was etched on the front of her armor. Above it, a large circle was placed right under the neck. Decorating it, was engraved angel wings on either side, parallel to her shoulders. Writing was present near the bottom of the armor. It looked like it said "Alearie" but in a different tongue.

There was not much on her arms, except two gold elbow shields, and thick silver cuffs on her wrists. She wore thin, white, battle gloves that were open at mid-finger, (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, I go into details…a LOT) and in her hands, held a scepter. (I'll tell you more about the scepter and the bow and arrows later…don't want to bore you all to death with my descriptions! Lol!) Slung around her shoulder and back, a pouch with a bow and multiple arrows laid.

Pure white wings protruded from her back as she solemnly flew down (Yeah, I know, no air, how can she fly? Well, she's SPECIAL…so THERE…) to the fifth planet, and stood a few kilometers above it.

Another person was standing across from her, a few kilometers above the sixth planet. He was tall, smirking maliciously, wearing dark navy, easily mistaken for black. Quite handsome, actually, his hair was short, a raven color, and his bangs fell like jagged, long, wisps, some parts falling below his fierce, bright, clear eyes.

He held a thin sword, a dark tinting gray black on bright silver. The sword had an interesting design on handle, which looked like the six planets. On the sword itself, the words were written horizontally, but going up vertically on the sword. It had the words "destruction" written very large on the front and back of the sword. However, oddly enough, on his belt, the word "hope" was engraved. Alearie didn't know how, but she could somehow read the writing. 

He wore slightly loose fitting pants, a long sleeved shirt, thin gloves that covered the whole hand, and big combat boots, with spikes so long a big, you could see them when looking at his shoes. The only things that weren't navy, were one, his armor, which was dark gray, covering his whole backside and front, (it stopped at the waist line, and was sleeveless) two, his own belt that also hung loosely, but was a dark, black color, three, he also acquired tainted silver wings, four, his boots were black, laced up with silver, and finally five, his sword.

Then, the scene skipped to the other girl, seeming to power up from the planet, and a white flame engulfed her. Her scepter turned into a sword, with a design of different jewels representing each of the six planets on the handle. A larger jewel similar to the one the girl had on her armor was placed right above it, reflecting all the colors. The sword was a mix of greenish tones on the handle, but as long as she was tall, and very thin. The writing on it was just like the other person's sword, but said "peace" and "redemption".

Soon, the writing glowed blue, as well as the symbols on her forehead, and on the other side, the planet engulfed him in a dark purple gray, as the writing on his sword too had started to glow black. Once the flames that engulfed them had become gigantic, they other posed in fighting positions, gave a battle cry, and charged.

A bright light filled Alearie's mind as the two opponents neared each other, and their flames and swords collided. Then everything started to wipe out as she was thrown back from the sudden gust of wind from the collision. Soon, everything went _black._

For a messenger lies unwoken,

Time's circle of stars has been broken,

Fire, Water, Earth, Darkness, and Light,

The Spirit within,

Shall release the shadows,

And bring eternal night.

Disharmony lies throughout,

And a message,

Shall be written in the stars,

To tell of destiny's fated call.

Only one to bring,

Harmony of the six,

But only one to bring destruction,

To the Universe of space and time.

She woke up. Again. Was this getting familiar, or what? Turning over, she groaned. Her body ached, as she recollected everything that happened before she saw _black_. The dream was starting to get more interesting, each time, and she even understood what was said, that time! She even understood the Greek writing, even though she had never taken Greek! It just didn't make any sense. _Who were those girls? Why did one seem so familiar? Who was that guy?_ All these questions swarmed around her mind, while she tried to swat them away.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she turned over, little _too_ much, and started to slip off the bed, but not before grabbing anything she could out of her haste. Which, in this situation, were the pillows and blankets. Of course, this did no good in stopping her fall, and she dragged everything down with her.

_Smooth move_. She thought, rolled her eyes, and then blinked, looking up at the light white-yellow ceiling. The shadow of the sun was portioned on most of the ceiling, leading down to the walls and the floor of the room. Her eyes followed the dark shadow, as her bright hazel (her iris switches colors) eyes fell along the intricate designs on the walls.

Yevon writing, or she assumed was Yevon writing, lined the top of the wall in a pattern, but on each part of the wall, below it, was a character written larger, with an image painted of different beasts, each colorful, and having their own special scene. Absorbed in it all, she slowly looked around the room, examining each and every picture, and every time she looked at one, it was as if a memory or something unlocked in her mind, but was like a closed door, like she was missing something else, and she just couldn't remember what. Finally, her eyes rested on one in particular.

It looked really familiar, and it was like she had seen it before. _But where?_ She thought. Crinkling her nose, her dark brows knitted together in deep thought, as scenes went racing through her mind. _The beach. The backpack. Taking out the orb. The light. The necklace…_ Her eyes went wide in realization as she remembered the necklace.

Reaching down for it, she grabbed it, clutching it tightly as she looked it over, turning it around in her hands. Looking up at the picture on the wall, she looked back down at the necklace, confirming her thoughts.

Realizing she was _still_ on the floor, with a bunch of sheets and pillows lying in heaps around her, she got up and smiled sheepishly. Then, while attempting to turn around and start to pick things up, she tripped over a pillow and crashed, bum first.

She did something that she hadn't done in a long while. Alearie started laughing. Laughing at her clumsiness, but once she started laughing, she couldn't stop! She hadn't laughing for so long, it was like she forgot how to laugh, and now that she was laughing, and she didn't know how to hinder it! It was like it was waiting to be freed, and it didn't want to go back yet.

She forgot all the hardships in her life these past weeks, and just let the laughter take all her sorrow away. Letting it all come out and drift away up into the air and disappearing forever like mist. After a long while of laughing, she remembered what she was _supposed_ to do, and got back up, grinning while she picked up pillows.

Sliding around gracefully, she was about to softly sing to a song that reminded her of a story of a couple, who, although they would get into arguments, in the end, they really did care about each other, and the girl promised that she would never let him die, (they never aged, but they fought demons) although he wanted to die. She did everything to keep that promise, and he took a liking to her. Where, while she was talking, he asked just to hold her. Alearie sighed. It was such a sweet story, and she began to sing to her favorite verse.

I'm falling into you

This dream could come true

And it feels so good falling into you

Falling like a leaf, falling like a star

Finding a belief, falling where you are

Catch me, don't let me drop!

Love me, don't ever stop!

Falling into you

Falling into you

Falling into you

She glided and sang merrily, arranging the blankets and pillows neatly on the bed. Eventually, everything was off the floor and onto the bed. Gliding around again, she glided around the room happily dancing and swaying to the beat of her own drum, her raven hair flying in long strands at the back, her eyes shining bright with joy. A knock at the door disturbed her thoughtful dreaming.

She stopped completely and watched the creak open. A woman dressed in traditional Yevonite clothing appeared, timidly waiting by the door. She found her voice, and stuttering, said, "Lady Alearie, the Maester Apollumi has invited you to a dance in honor of the Praetor Baralai's services. It will be held in the ballroom later tonight, and an escort will arrive to take you there. A variety of assorted dresses are downstairs, where we will come to assist you shortly. Do you accept?"

Alearie nodded, her hands clasped together. "Thank you so much," Alearie replied, and bowed. The woman nodded, closing her door quietly, repeating, "We will come shortly to assist you in dressing."

Watching the door close, Alearie stared for a couple seconds at the door, then turned around, fiddling with her hands. She sighed and anxiously plopped on the bed. She couldn't wait for the dance to come. Rubbing her chin, she wondered what Baralai was doing right about now.

Her thoughts were disturbed when all these women dressed in Yevonite clothing came in, chatting around her. She looked around as was dragged out of the room, with some of the women pulling on her hair, some tugging on her arms, some measuring around her waist, and some pointing to her face and seeming to be calculating something.

Pretty much being dragged out of the room, all Alearie could do was to look around helplessly as the women forced her out the door, down the long marble staircase, while some of the women shot different colors of fabric in front of her face, pointing to it and asking her something that she couldn't understand because everyone else was talking.

After the long trip down the halls, while Alearie's head was spinning, they finally stopped at a room, and everyone piled in, shutting the door. Alearie was pushed into the seat as some of the women started putting up her hair, some puffing perfume, which Alearie sneezed, and make-up on her face. Alearie just closed her eyes, flaunting her arms to shoo it away, deciding to cover her face so no more noxious perfume and powder could come near her.

This was going to be a _long_ night.

**Wow! Another chapter done! Thanks to all my reviewers who've been there while I have writer's block!! SOOO SUPER-DUPER-MEAN-WRITER'S-BLOCK!! Not to worry, though! Since I don't have writer's block anymore, and an idea for the next chapter is already playing out in my head, the next chapter will hopefully be out soon! THANKS AGAIN to ALL my reviews!! You guys ROCK!!!**

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Cute-Kitty-lol!! Thanks for reviewing me! Yeah, I tend to get a _little_ too hyper…hehehe! I drank a LOT of hot cocoa and got to raid some chocolate from my candy stash…muhahahahaha!!! Yup! That was her overdrive! Heeehee!! Watch out for the next chapter! It should come really soon, since Alearie and Baralai are gonna dance…hehehe what fun. .

Tifa-Carbuncle-lol! Thankies for the review! I hope I didn't worry you again! I HATE those dragons too!! When I played it, I had to keep resetting because I kept dying…evil dragons of DOOM! …hehe! Don't forget to keep writing either! Haven't gotten an update from you in awhile! Lol! Not like I can talk either! Anyhow, watch out for the next chapter! It's coming soon! Can't just leave you there waiting for the dance! .

Rainyday87-Awww! Thanks! I'm touched that you like it! Teehee! There's gonna be another cute part coming up in this next chapter, I'll guarantee that! BTW, Thanks for the review!

Crissy Dowie-lol!! Hehe! Yay!! Someone else likes the song other than me! ::feels supported:: haha! I'm not good at waiting either, and yet I put you through all that…I'm so bad! I hope you liked this chapter…although I made this one a cliff hanger too! Don't worry, the dancing scene will be in the chapter coming soon! Thanks for the review!

RueNeko-Yay! I'm really glad you think so! Hehe! That's true! There can never be too many Baralai/OC fanfics!! I'm probably gonna write more of 'em too! The world really does need more! Lol! Sorry to put you through all that waiting! Don't you worry! I'm already working on the 10th chapter! Thanks for the review!

Amber Spirit-Yay! Someone thinks my fanfic is cool!!! ::celebrates:: It's not that good, but I'm glad you like it! I'm already working on the next chapter, so I'll hopefully be updating soon! Thanks for the review!


	10. A Night To Remember

Hehe! Here's another chapter! This time, I hope I didn't make you guys wait that long! Anyhow, here's the dance scene! As usual, the song doesn't belong to me! This one is by Michelle Branch, (lol! Is anyone surprised? .) and it's called "You Get Me." Haha! There's also a part in this chapter that reminds me of what a friend of mine says a lot "Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!" Anyway hope you all like the chapter! Thanks to ALL my reviewers!!!

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Worlds Apart: Chapter 10 A Night To Remember

Rapidly, the whole room fell silent, and the door swung open. All the Yevonite women parted to stand by the walls of the room, and Alearie peaked through her fingers and slowly brought down her hands. A young woman dressed in a kimono, decorated with a slight few Yevonite symbols rushed through, nodding to the women, and thoughtfully smiled to Alearie. Taking charge, she began ordering the other women to do this and that, pointing to various sections of the room, then came up to the coy Alearie, giving her a reassured smile. "Hello! I'm Beth!"

Walking behind her, she placed her hands on Alearie's shoulders, and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, we'll make you the fairest lady in the land!" Alearie chuckled, "That'll be pretty hard to do. By the way, I'm Alearie!" Beth nodded, pretending to have not heard the first part. She scooted Alearie to shower, but notified her not to wash her hair. Afterwards, Alearie came out in a white robe and Beth scooted her to a chair.

"Baralai really chose a good one." Beth turned around, gathering a light purple tube which looking like lip gloss. She applied a small bit to Alearie's lips. Making disapproving grunting noises, Beth turned back around, grabbing a clear tube and a napkin. Beth rubbed off the other lip gloss with the napkin and put on the other. Alearie was left blushing at that last comment, to embarrassed to say anything.

Beth nodded at Alearie's lips, examining them for a few seconds before rolling Alearie's chair over to the sink, where she washed, dried, and combed her hair until it seemed to be silky and smooth. Beth signaled another woman to apply light powder on Alearie's face, and another to start bringing in the dresses.

Beth gave an approving "cluck" noise and a sweet smile as she helped Alearie up from the chair. Alearie gasped as she felt her hair swing around her in one fluent motion. Grabbing a tuff of it, it almost felt like a bunch of soft feathers! Amazed, Alearie looked up as Beth prodded her with an elbow, pointing forward. Immediately, Alearie let go of her hair, her mouth forming a wide "O" as well as her eyes. She was frozen in time as she saw all the dresses in front of her.

_"This has GOT to be a dream. This can't be real. I'm dreaming. I MUST be dreaming. Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, oh my."_ Making sure she was unnoticed, Alearie pinched her arm. _"Ouch!" _Okay, so maybe she _wasn't_ dreaming after all. Closing her mouth and gulping, she stuttered to Beth all she could manage, "W-w-what?" giving a sharp point to the dresses. She could _not_ wear _that_! Those dresses were made for angels, namely _not_ her!

As if to read her mind, Beth just said, "Those dresses are made for angels!" pausing, she continued, "Perfect for _you_!" Alearie's mouth swung open again. _She had GOT to be kidding!_ Beth just cocked her head, laughing, and closed Alearie's mouth while walking past her. Holding out her arms to dresses, she flipped around again, and to Alearie, seemed to have mustered up a TV-like commercial voice, "Which one?"

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Baralai investigated all the rooms, storming into each one which a concerned look, only to be told that, "_She's_ in the next room." After running around in circles, Baralai finally threw his arms up into the air. _"I give UP!"_ he thought, and sighed. He wanted to at LEAST get a glimpse of her, to see if she was okay. He didn't know what she was thinking when she decided to face that fiend. All he knew was that he practically had a major panic attack seeing her sprawled on the ground unconscious. 

Spotting Gippal, he had stopped pacing and hindered to wait as Gippal waved and jogged towards him. "Hey man! What's up? You look tense." Gippal patted Baralai on the back as Baralai swung his arms around, trying to breathe. "Ease down a bit…what's wrong?" Gippal continued.

"Ah, nothing, just a lot of things on my mind, it's a pretty busy night." Raising a brow, Gippal started to smirk, and faced Baralai, looking him straight in the eyes. "Yeah, right, whatever it is, don't worry about it, I'm sure everything will be _fine_. Anyway, I've gotta go. Cid's girl will have a fit if I'm any later."

Striding away, Gippal slowed after a few steps. "_She'll _be _fine_. Stop worrying your ass off, you wuss." With that said, Gippal continued on, as Baralai chuckled. "Same old Gippal," Baralai murmured quietly, then taking another deep breath, strolled to the ballroom.

It was magnificent. White sparkling curtains hanging across the balconies, and white roses hung in the center of each fold. The chandeliers glowed with a natural bright white-yellow from the white candles. Vines of the white flowers were wrapped around the marble staircases. The tables had an amber glow to them, and the walls also glowed a heavier amber. Lush green plants with stunning multi-colored flowers decorated some of the corners of the huge room.

On one side of the ballroom, the wall was a transparent glass that revealed the stars and full moon twinkling fantastically. The pastel green marble floors shone, and he marveled at how well they decorated. It was not completely finished, for the food tables were still be filled up and a large cake was coming his way.

It was a highly layered cake, all chocolate, decorated elegantly with frosting, but it looked like it was about to tip over from any slight disturbance. Lucky for him, he ducked, then caught it, making sure it was unharmed. Some waiters noticed the cake, and ran to him, saying a thanks over and over again to Baralai, who just grinned it off, waving his hand saying, "It was nothing."

After about an hour of waiting, everything was finally set up. Everyone came to greet Baralai, whose was seriously having a boring night. Standing around idly, he made small conversation and tried to ending it quickly, but politely. He was half listening to Gippal, who was talking about _something_, who knows what it was, and Baralai nodded every know and then, pretending to have understood.

Right then, he noticed a figure walk in. Very shyly, she clasped her hands together, looking around. She seemed like one of those perfect dolls. Getting a good look at her face, his mouth instantly opened in disbelief, and he immediately started to walk towards her. His mind was screaming, "_WHAT!? She's supposed to be in BED! She's too weak to be here! What's she doing here! What if something happens?!"_ All these questions swarmed his mind as he was pushing his way through to get to her.

Gippal, finally realizing that Baralai was gone, looked at what Baralai was walking towards, then began to smirk, and eventually chuckled as the amusing scene played out. Baralai just gave Beth a look, who was also smirking and placing a hand on her hip, mouthing a, "Anything for a friend in _major_ need of a girl," then turned away, walking out.

At first, Baralai gave her a blank, startled look, then he mouthed a "HEYY!!" to her back. _He wasn't in major need of a girl! …Well, maybe he was if it was Alearie. He didn't know WHAT he'd do without her._ Then he remembered the lady standing a few yards away from him, and cast a glance, or more like he began to stare at the dazzling maiden who spotted him.

Alearie had her hair up in a braided bun, with pale blue-white flowers in a circle around it while her bangs rested innocently over her forehead in an almost unruly fashion. She wore a long pale blue dress, the top was spaghetti strapped, and a thick pale blue silk bow was tied around the waist, and in the back, hung the large bow, its ends curving like a butterfly's, trailing to the floor.

Her shoes were also the same pale blue (Beth REALLY likes to match everything) and were high heels. It closed over the toes, but the rest was open. They were lace up shoes, lacing up over her feet once, and lacing up three times up her legs to her shins.

The skirt was not thick and puffy, but flowed, and was the pale blue cloth, not thick, but like the top, and a very thin pale blue silk was sewn over it. From the elbows to her wrists, see-through netted pale blue arm warmers hugged her arms. Baralai took it all in and could only stare, then looked back up as she smiled brightly at him, her lips shining from the lip gloss.

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Alearie immediately locked eyes with Baralai, clearly seeing the shock written all over his face. Then, shouted his name, while running towards him, ignoring the bewildered and strange glances she was getting from guests around her. She was causing quite a stir as she fell into his awaiting arms.

So I'm a little left of center  
I'm a little out of tune  
Some say I'm paranormal  
So I just bend their spoon

Hugging him tightly, she heard him start to laugh, but then whispered, "You should be in bed." Her smile turned into a disappointed look, and she began to pout, giving him puppy-dog eyes. Baralai laughed again. "I'm _kidding,_" he reassured her, and Alearie continued to glomp him. "Good, 'cause I wouldn't have left anyway, whether you would've liked it or not. You're stuck with _me_!"

Who wants to be ordinary  
In a crazy, mixed-up world  
I don't care what they're saying  
As long as I'm your girl

Hey, you are on my side  
And they, they just roll their eyes

At this, Baralai looked down at Alearie, who was staying entertained by tugging on the strings on his clothing. "I _am_, am I? Well, it looks like there's no other thing to do then to dance, since you're stuck with me." Smiling boldly, Baralai offered his arm, while Alearie looked up into his clear chocolate eyes, which were now sparkling. Entranced, all she could do was sheepishly look up at him.

You get me  
When nobody understands  
You come and take the chance, baby

You get me  
You look inside my wild mind  
Never knowing what you'll find  
And still you want me all the time  
Yeah, you do  
Yeah, you get me

Regaining composure, Alearie smirked at him. "Sneaky," Alearie replied, putting her hands on her hips. Taking her arm in his, he poked her side, where she "eeped" loudly and jumped, then quickly looked up at Baralai, who pretended he didn't do anything. Alearie looked away, and Baralai, not able to contain his mirth, started to burst out laughing.

Blushing madly, Alearie pouted and kicked Baralai in the shins. From this unexpected counter, Baralai hollered a loud "Ouch" and winced, making Alearie giggle to no end, leading to Baralai poking Alearie some more for revenge, who tried to prevent the poking, but that just lead to more, receiving fits of laughter from both Baralai _and _Alearie.

It was quite a funny scene to see, Baralai poking Alearie, would was trying to block him and kick at the same time, making Baralai laugh when she missed. "Awww, look, they're flirting, how cute!" Rikku tugged on Gippal's arm, pointing out the scene. "Darnit! Should've brought a recording sphere. Nooj would've LOVED this. You don't get to see the praetor attempt to flirt like this everyday." Gippal snapped his fingers in disappointment, and Rikku rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Gippal…." she said, aggravated. "What?" Gippal put up his arms to match his question. "It's TRUE," he continued.

So what if I see the sunshine  
In the pouring rain  
Some people think I'm crazy  
But you say it's okay

They passed by others who were already dancing, and got near the middle of the ballroom floor. Getting into position, Baralai put an arm around Alearie's backside, and the other held her hand. Alearie looked at the hand that was holding hers, and moved it to her backside, moving both of her hands around his neck. Looking up at Baralai, she explained, "I like this better," smiling mischievously at him, while he blushed, nodded swiftly, and looked to away, causing Alearie to laugh even more at his cute bashfulness.

You've seen my secret garden  
Where all of my flowers grow  
In my imagination  
Anything goes

I, I am all you want  
They, they just read me wrong

This seemed too much like a movie, or a story, it just was almost too good to be real. Alearie felt like she was dancing in air, in the arms of her knight, or prince. It was reminding her a lot of Cinderella, or a faerie tale like that. She didn't want it to be _too_ much like a faerie tale, because faerie tales just didn't have enough spice in them, not enough and _suspense_. Closing her eyes, she let herself be swept off her feet, in both ways, by Baralai. She could get lost pretty much just get lost staring into his eyes, or stay in his warm arms forever.

You get me  
When nobody understands  
You come and hold my hand, baby  
You get me

The quick and lively songs had evaporated into the night air, as the last few slow songs were playing to end the dance. Alearie rested her head on Baralai's chest, feeling the beat of his heart sound softly in her ear. They swayed like this for a couple of minutes, and when the song ended, a shooting star flew across the night sky.

You look inside my wild mind  
Never knowing what you'll find  
Still you want me all the time  
Yeah, you do  
'Cause you get me

Hey, you are on my side  
They, they just roll their eyes  
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Alearie raced out the double doors of the ballroom, to a large balcony outside, pulling Baralai with her. Alert, Alearie pulled away from Baralai and closed her eyes, making a wish to the quickly fading star. Baralai observed her silently for a few seconds, then went over and wrapped his arms around her neck, resting his head on hers.

'Cause you get me  
When nobody understands  
You come and take the chance, baby  
You get me  
When none of the pieces fit  
You make sense of it

He felt her smile into him, as she reacted and brought her hands up and laced her fingers into his. This moment of peace couldn't last, however. The crowd yelled, "Praetor Baralai!" from inside, and a speech was beginning. Baralai reluctantly pulled away, rolling his eyes and groaning in defeat, holding a hand up to his head in a position like he was suffering from a migraine. Alearie just stood there laughing at the whole thing, practically falling over when she saw how irritated Baralai looked from the interruption.

You get me  
You look inside my wild mind  
Never knowing what you'll find  
And still I want you all the time  
Yeah, I do  
'Cause you get me  
Yeah, oh, yeah, oh

Baralai looked up at her in disbelief, raising an eye brow, then started laughing himself at her laughing. They were one weird couple! "C'mon, might as well, " motioning to the doors with his head, Baralai ran over and held a door open for her, who picked up her skirt and ran through, nodded in agreement to him.

In the ballroom, hundreds of people cheered, the cacophony of loud whistles and clapping could probably be heard from miles away! Baralai took a way up the stairs to the center balcony while Alearie waited patiently right below, watching his every movement.

Reaching the top, a man as tall as Baralai bowed respectfully, then whispered something in Baralai's ear, who just looked at him and nodded. _"I wonder what that was about…"_ Alearie couldn't help but wonder, then the man turned, catching eye contact with Alearie, who was staring straight up at him.

Alearie gazed into bright, clear, icy blue. The man smiled gently, but his eyes were cold and unfeeling, but had a small hint of sadness, very distinct from his raven hair. She almost was sure that she saw traces of some scars or something near his forehead, but it was covered up by his jagged bangs.

Alearie thought it odd, he wasn't wearing Yevonite clothing. He seemed pretty important, like maybe a high priest or something. Instead, he wore a olive green shirt set off with very dark navy pants. Remembering her manners, Alearie gasped softly and looked away, averting her eyes. _That man sure did seem familiar_. She had an uneasy feeling that something was going on.

Baralai's voice broke through the loud audience, and everything fell silent as he spoke. Alearie wasn't paying attention. She was deep in thought, and her mind was racing through vague pictures and details. She was absolutely _sure_ she had seen that man somewhere, but her mind was closing its doors faster than she could run to unlock them.

Before she knew it, loud clapping broke through, and Baralai announced a "thank you" before turning to walk down the steps, then the man grabbed Baralai's arm again, whispering something, like a reminder, whereas Baralai spoke a few words to him, and they both nodded. The man released Baralai, who walked down the steps to Alearie. The crowd was leaving in huge swarms, and the huge ballroom was soon only occupied by Alearie, Baralai, the man, and a few guards.

"Good evening, I am Apollumi," introducing himself, he bowed deeply. Straightening up, he shook Baralai's hand firmly, then took Alearie's hand, lingering slightly longer, his eyes flashing with a certain intensity that made a chill run down Alearie's spine. "I'm sorry, but, I need to talk to Baralai in private," Apollumi never let his gaze falter from Alearie. "Uh, of course" Alearie backed away, not daring to look back at Apollumi, then gave Baralai a sweet smile and walked outside back to the double doors.

Once outside, Alearie crouched, listening through the door. At first, all talk was normal, then she heard a loud "Thunk" and some shouts. She heard Apollumi's voice, then the sound of many feet shuffling, then Baralai groan in pain. Alearie's eyes widened as she shoved the door open.

Baralai was sprawled on the ground, his face being pressed to the ground by on of the guard's hands. Another came up, and Baralai took them all by surprise by using a great amount of force and decking the first guard and turning fully, giving the second guard a good punch that sent him flying. Giving a quick turn, Baralai elbowed another guard, struggling. Alearie could believe this. Running in, she avoided the guards' attempts to grab her, and instead, they were rewarded by hard kicks.

Baralai fought off the guards on the right side, punching as hard as he could, while cursing under his breath for not bringing his weapon this time around. By this time, Baralai's overcoat was torn in tiny strips on the ground, resulting in him wearing a white muscle shirt. His face was covered in cuts and bruises.

Alearie was dodging blows on the left side, kicking the right places, her dress torn in other pieces. A few guards all came at her, and she grabbed a stone heavy vase. When the guards were only seconds away from her, running at full force, she threw the vase up and ducked and rolled away as the guards bumped into each other and the hard vase, causing them unconsciousness.

Fighting them off, many of the guards were soon on the ground, yelping in pain. Alearie breathed deeply, then saw a shadow appear behind Baralai. It was Apollumi. "Baralai!" Alearie yelled, just in time for Baralai to duck out of the way and kick him to the ground, but then Alearie was picked up by a guard who was grinning maliciously behind her, and she was thrown to the opposite wall in full force. Her head connected to the wall with a sickening "thud" and she started to slide down the wall to the floor.

Reaching a hand up to the back of her head, she felt liquid pouring and brought her hand back down. She looked down and was disgusted to see crimson red oozing in her hands, dripping all over the floor and tainting her dress. All she could make was a low moan, hardly audible, the pain was so excruciating. Her head started to spin, the room was starting to fade as well as her vision. Everything became blurry and she blacked out.

Baralai heard the "thud" and turned to the sound. "Alearie" he shouted, then started to run to her, only to be held back by guards. He flung them all off him, but then Apollumi appeared beside her, scooping her up, and faced him, smirking. "Hold him" he commanded, and Baralai was held back by the guards again, with a stronger force. Baralai began to struggle, and yelled a, "Let her GO! Leave her out of this!"

"I don't think so…" Apollumi chuckled, reaching into his back pocket where a weapon glistened. Baralai struggled even more, and Apollumi inspected the knife for a painstaking few minutes, then held it up to Alearie's throat and gave a tiny cut. A tiny pool of blood dripped from Alearie's neck. "Stop, or you know what will happen next," he commanded to Baralai, who immediately ceased and glared at Apollumi with hate.

"Why are you doing this?" Baralai whispered with a silent fury. "You'll find out soon enough. Take him away," Apollumi grinned maliciously and watched as the guards brought Baralai away. Baralai watched Apollumi with disgusted fury and hate as he was reluctantly brought away. Apollumi waited until Baralai was completely out of site before repeating "You'll find out soon enough…cousin."

* * *

Omigosh! How evil is THAT?! Mean dude! How could he do that to them?! Apollumi is Baralai's cousin!?!?!? Wait, doesn't he seem familiar from somewhere?! …hehe! Anyhow, will Alearie and Baralai be together?! Will I be able to update soon? Will I ever get tired of Michelle Branch? (nope! lol!) Can I get over my chocolate hyper-ness tonight? Find out in this next suspenseful chapter as the Alearie and Baralai saga continues! . Muhahahahaha!! ::is very sugar-hyper:: Well, please read and review!  


Tifa-Carbuncle-Awww, that's sad to hear, but yay!! I can't wait to read that one! I'm happy you didn't! Heehe! Yeah, I had given up on a really good fic, then one day, I was checking my e-mail, and there was an update, and I expected it to be on another fic or something, but then I was completely amazed to see it was for that fic!! I was like…OMG!!! Lol! This chapter came quicker! Don't die of suspense yet!!! Hehe!! Thanks for your review! Lol! Anyhow, keep in touch! TTYL! .


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